Monday, July 5th 1976.

Footage of a press conference at which Brigadier Joseph Garba, Nigeria's Minister for External Affairs, presented a cheque to Senhor Joaquim Chissano, Mozambique's Foreign Minister as Nigeria's contribution towards financing the liberation struggle in Rhodesia (later Zimbabwe).

The press conference was held in Port Louis, Mauritius, where both men were attending a meeting of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).

Garba was very critical of the two rival factions of the African National Council (ANC) led respectively by Bishop Abel Muzorewa, leader of the external African National Council and Mr. Joshua Nkomo, leader of the internal ANC.

Garba:

"My dear colleagues, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mozambique, ladies and gentlemen of the press, we in Nigeria believe that whatever we are able to do is only an assistance, a token of our commitment. The fighting must of necessity be done by the liberation movements themselves. This is the only way that true independence can be won. It is for this reason that the government of Nigeria has decided to make a quarter of a million dollars available to help the freedom fighters. In normal circumstances this cheque should have been delivered to an undisputed leader of the Zimbabwean movement and I am sure that would have been a pleasant duty. Unfortunately there is no such person, as the political leaders of the liberation movements are too busy bickering among themselves. We have therefore decided to hand the cheque over to the government of Mozambique and I have great pleasure in handing the cheque to my friend and colleague Mr. Chissano, who himself is a dedicated, tireless and dynamic crusader for freedom, independence and justice in Africa. Ladies and gentlemen I thank you very much."

"We are receiving these funds on behalf of the fighting people of Zimbabwe and Mozambique is not going to use this money for other things, but only for that purpose. So whether they are satisfied or not maybe this will be proved by the results."

naptu2:
Nelson Mandela's first visit to Nigeria after being released from prison (May 14th, 1990).



It is a year since South African legend, Neslon Mandela died, so we take a look at his first visit to Nigeria after he was released from prison in 1990.

ANC Vice President, Nelson Mandela was released from prison on February 11th, 1990. He went on a thank you tour of countries that had supported the anti-apartheid struggle. This, of course, included Nigeria, which had provided funds, training and sanctuary to the ANC. Mr Mandela had stayed in Nigeria in 1962. He lived in the home of Chief Mbazulike Amaechi (The Boy Is Good) at the request of Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe (the Governor General of Nigeria and Chief Mbazulike's leader in the NCNC). Dr Mandela met with Mbazulike and Azikiwe in 1990, to thank them for their assistance.

The leaders of six African frontline states headed home...


LAGOS, Nigeria -- The leaders of six African frontline states headed home today after issuing a joint communique demanding South Africa's immediate withdrawal from Angola.

The summit also urged the Organization of African Unity to give Angola military aid to repel the invaders from the south and castigated the American administration for supporting South Africa on the South West Africa-Namibia independence issue.

'We unequivocally condemn the series of aggressive acts launched against Angola and other frontline states,' the communique said.

The summit was hosted by Nigeria. It was attended by the presidents of Zambia, Tanzania, Botswana, Angola and Mozambique and the prime minister of Zimbabwe. Sam Nujoma, the leader of the South West African Peoples Organization guerrillas fighting for the independence of Namibia also attended.

Africa: I Tried to Get Nkomo and Mugabe to Kill Each Other, Says Obasanjo


29 March 2018

New Zimbabwe (London)

By Staff Reporter


Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo tried to get Zimbabwe's nationalist leaders Robert Mugabe and the late Joshua Nkomo into a gun fight during the liberation struggle.

Obasanjo revealed this during a panel discussion with President Emmerson Mnangagwa in Cote d'Ivoire early this week. The two were attending the just ended African CEOs Forum in Abidjan.

Obasanjo said Mugabe and Nkomo had abused military arsenal supplied to their guerrilla movements to "kill each other".

"At some stage, Nkomo and Mugabe began using the guns we were supplying them to kill each other.

"I tried to bring them to Nigeria for talks but they avoided each other and came at different times. However they were to later meet and I had them sitting beside me. I had two pistols loaded so I said to them, 'I will give you each a gun so you can fight. The one who dies we will bury him here while the one who wins will go and fight the struggle," said Obasanjo.

He added, "They were surprised and argued it was too drastic a way to resolve their differences. I must say it seemed to have worked because just after that they went and formed the Patriotic Front and won independence for Zimbabwe".



Mnangagwa, in his opening remarks, told the African CEOs Forum that he knew Obasanjo during the liberation struggle.

"President Obasanjo supported our struggle. I accompanied President Mugabe to Nigeria. I was a young man then I don't know if he remembers but he asked me about a red book I was holding on Mao Tse Tung's thoughts," said Mnangagwa.

Obasanjo, in response, then narrated his hair raising solution to the power struggles between Zanu and Zapu's military wings Zanla and Zipra during the bush war against racist Rhodesia.

"I don't know if the President (Mnangagwa) is aware of this story that is part of the decolonisation of Zimbabwe. We supported the struggle not based on any ideological standpoint but on the conviction that blacks are equal to any people anywhere in the world," the former military leader said.

"For me as a leader then, it did not matter who I was if a black man anywhere in the world was regarded a second class citizen because of the colour of his skin. It diminished me as a human being".

Obasanjo took power through a coup in 1979 but was later to hand over to a civilian government. He returned to power in the late 80s as a civilian President of Nigeria.




Read the original article on New Zimbabwe.

naptu2:
The Murtala/Obasanjo era is often viewed as the golden era of Nigeria’s foreign policy. This was the era that Nigeria stood up to the Western powers and fought hard to ensure an end to colonialism and apartheid in Africa.

Nigeria’s first and only Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, had declared that Africa was the centre point of Nigeria’s foreign policy and this was brought to life during this era.

Nigeria gave huge sums of money to liberation movements in Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. It gave fighter jets to the MPLA in Angola, facilitated military training for ANC activists from South Africa and provided safe refuge to liberation fighters and activists from all the southern African countries.

Nigeria was made an honorary member of the Frontline States due to its activities that were geared to ensuring an end to white minority rule in southern Africa. The Frontline States group were a group of countries that shared borders with or were in close proximity to South Africa. These countries suffered from destabilisation campaigns and military incursions by the South African military. Nigeria did not share a border with South Africa, but it was an honorary member of the group and it hosted meetings of the group because of its financial, diplomatic and military support to the members of the group.

This thread is about one of those acts that Nigeria did to support the liberation movement.








Chissano:




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C40eTgWlPhk

ednut1:
A case of a man helping strangers while his parents dey soak garri

naptu2:
"For me as a leader then, it did not matter who I was if a black man anywhere in the world was regarded a second class citizen because of the colour of his skin. It diminished me as a human being"